Shepherd's Dream Project Overview

INTENTION: to eventually have all components of this project be formalized as ‘nonprofit’, either separately, or under one umbrella. The overall intention is to create a community model of sustainable living that includes the basic components of shelter, food and production of healthful and needed products and services. Shepherd’s Dream wool bed company, as the ‘mature’, and first component, has provided an insight into the realistic possibility of taking this community model to the next step in its natural growth to include other basic components.

The questions that arise from a change of ‘scale’ are an important part of the learning process about human community and its sustainability. Fundamental to the entire project, is an ongoing review of what it is that inspires and sustains the spirit within the activities of a community, by doing work that the participants find worthwhile within a world view. The overall project is meant to support and create a dialog with other groups who have taken similar intention out of the academic/intellectual dialog into the physical world. The development of such models is meant to inspire, educate and guide humanity into a new paradigm for a sustainable and inspired way of living.

The intention is to deal with the emotion of futility which pervades the human psyche at this time. This sad condition drains the physical energy of humanity and is remedied by directing one’s physical energy into positive, life-giving forms. The holding of multiple perspectives(local, world wide and universal) within this dialog is natural to this intention. We will integrate lessons learned by other intentional communities throughout history, as well as an ongoing evaluation of our own project, to guide its evolution and maturity.

1. Shepherd’s Dream live/work downtown Montague project — includes 3 adjoined yet independent structures and garden parcel. The largest is a 2-story, 110 year old, 3200 sq. ft. refurbished brick structure which includes both woolbed operations and residence for management team of the woolbed manufacturing company. The Shepherd’s Dream wool bed company is, after 22 years of evolution as a design and manufacturing company, the cornerstone of all aspects of the overall project.

The second structure, approx 1400 sq. ft., will include both a food preparation and public eating facility as well as a residential apartment for its manager. This is now in the process of being remodeled for this purpose and is expected to be functioning by mid 2005. It will begin as a vegetarian cafeteria for all participants in the project. This will include employees and the families of the wool carding mill in town, the Shepherd’s Dream bed frame builders, Shepherd’s Dream wool bedding operations team, the cafe food preparers, and Lilly’s Organic Farm participants.

The third structure includes a residence for the wool mattress maker and a store front annex to expand, featuring both additional wool products and food and self care products. Included in this (downtown) project is a master plan for the development of two additional 500 sq. ft. residences, greenhouses, landscaping, outdoor eating and additional wool bed production area in the undeveloped rear portion of these 4 downtown lots. Included in the project is an additional one third acre parcel across from city hall and park for future development as to the needs of the project.

2. The Woolgatherers Carding Mill — located in Montague, a quarter mile south of the Shepherd’s Dream Production headquarters. The mill was purchased and assembled in the winter of 2001/2002 by Montague shepherd, Patrick Holland. The equipment came from Mt. Jefferson Woolen mill in Oregon when its doors closed the April before. In February of 2002, the carding mill began carding hiqh quality wool batting, which is the primary ingredient used in the Shepherd’s Dream woolbed.

The wool is purchased directly from domestic woolgrowers at premium prices. The EcoDomestic Wool Project, which was co-founded by Eliana and Patrick is a collaboration which seeks to help build the infrastructure for reviving and stabilizing our domestic wool industry. This involves establishing a standard and identity for domestically produced wool in the marketplace. Most of the wool sold in North America, has been coming from overseas, to the detriment of our own, domestic wool sources. In June of 2004, Patrick Holland passed away. Ownership of the mill has been turned over to Nathon Thill of Montague.

3. Lilly’s Organic Farm Project — The mission of this aspect of the project is to perpetuate the vision of its benefactor, organic farmer for 73 years Mary Lilly, 86, utilizing her “wisdom through experience” on her 38 acre farm in the town of Montague. This working model’s intention is to be a foundation in trust to the vision as stated by its founders, Mary Lilly, architect/builder Bob Davidson, and Eliana Jantz, founder of Shepherd’s Dream.

This is a rural town model of sustainable community with a focus on organic farming, cottage industry, and natural health services, produced for and serving the needs of the farm participants as well as the Shepherd’s Dream cafe in downtown Montague, and the larger surrounding community. The farm will develop a strong residential program for long term as well as short term stays. Visitors will be invited with specialized experience and knowledge on related issues to help the community grow and mature.

The intention is to provide a complete community model that includes the basic needs of shelter, food, health and inspiration, while also engaging with the surrounding community through its services. It is inherent in the vision to hold an awareness of world scale issues and needs, while developing an understanding of community by the ongoing process of this working model.

Mary Lilly’s age brings a special focus to the needs and the gifts of the elderly within a community. This community model is inclusive to the needs and gifts of the elderly, the very young, culturally unique, and physically and mentally challenged.
Basic to the intention of this project, is an awareness that the existing social/economic models prevalent in the world, no longer serve us and our communities. This project will offer inspiration and help for others to explore alternative models.

The needs of this project are many, in terms of resources. The land at this time contains many delapatated barns and out buildings, massive amounts of recyclable materials, as well as a 1500 sq. ft. home, which needs substantial refurbishing (Mary Lilly’s present home, as well as two other potential bedrooms for participants).

The land had been active agriculturally, and contains two reservoirs. The zoning allows for a large residential component, as the land is within the city boundary, which includes sewer and water availability. To develop this specific project will require the development of a master plan with city approval, as well as legal services to formalize the nonprofit component.

4. Shop Facility — The 5000 sq. ft. fabrication shop is presently located in Graton, California, 6 hours south of Montague, California. It was established by Bob Davidson for the purpose of helping small companies develop their production facilities by the design and construction of machinery, ‘materials handling’ equipment, as well as factory lay out and design. It has been used in the Shepherd’s Dream project for such purposes to date. The intention is to re-locate this shop in the town of Montague to be an integral part in the overall project.

5. The Shepherd’s Dream World Woolbed Project — Paralleling the development of the Shepherd’s Dream wool bed company, has been an ongoing intention by its founder, to develop a nonprofit organization to distribute a felted woolbed that would have world wide application for protecting and nurturing humans in various extreme conditions and can be considered the most basic architectural shelter for humanity (environmental disasters, refugee migrations, third world poverty conditions, and other medicinal and emergencyapplications).

This idea has grown out of the understanding of the healing nature of the wool fiber, especially in its most simple form, washed, carded and felted. Wool protects from all extremes of heat, cold, moisture, resists mildew and fire, and has amazing longevity. Wool as a medium is found world wide, and this project can be expanded to include the implementation of local cottage and communal industry in various parts of the world, particularly in the places it is most needed, both for protection as habitat, and for local economic reasons. The intention is to develop this within the total project as a self sustaining entity, drawing on the facilities of the overall project.